a geophysical science dealing with earthquakes and related phenomena
Origin of seismology
seismo- + -logy
One aspect of seismology is studying the fault lines of major and minor plates on our planet.
- People begin to be curious about earthquakes and other Earth movements in the 1700s and early 1800s.
- One early theory about the cause of earthquakes was the theory of elastic wave propagation in solids - that you can hit a solid object and waves of energy will travel through the object and cause movement.
- In 1857 Irish engineer/scientist Mallet proposed the theory that earthquakes move outward from a central focal point, and that, by locating the direction that the earthquake came from, the focal points could be located and studied.
- Mallet also proposed the first earthquake monitoring system, suggesting that there should be observatories made that could study and monitor these earthquake activities and pinpoint where they were coming from and what might be causing them.
- In the late 1870s the first seismograph, which is a piece of equipment that uses ink and paper to measure the severity and duration of an earthquake or other seismic event, was developed by English scientists in Japan.
- In 1897, the first seismograph was installed in the United States, near San Francisco at the Lick Observatory. This seismograph was able to record the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906, allowing for further study of this massive event.
- Also in 1897, the first damper-equipped seismograph was created, which allowed for continuous study of a single earthquake event. This was made possible because the vibrations of the device could be controlled by the damper mechanism. This was a huge step forward over previous seismographic devices because it allowed for longer term studies of earthquakes and their aftershocks without having to reset the devices.
Seismology is the branch of science that deals with earthquakes and the movement of the Earth's tectonic plates.
History of Seismology
An example of seismology is geological surveying.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"seismology." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Seismology>.
APA Style
seismology. (n.d.). Retrieved July 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Seismology
seismology
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"seismology." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Seismology>.
APA Style
seismology. (n.d.). Retrieved July 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Seismology
seismology
noun
The geophysical science of earthquakes and the mechanical properties of the earth.
Related Forms:
- seis′mo·log′ic seis′mo·log′i·cal
adjective
- seis′mo·log′i·cal·ly
adverb
- seis·mol′o·gist
noun
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"seismology." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Seismology>.
APA Style
seismology. (n.d.). Retrieved July 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Seismology
The scientific study of earthquakes and of the internal structure of the Earth. It includes the study of the origin, geographic distribution, effects, and possible prediction of earthquakes.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"seismology." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Seismology>.
APA Style
seismology. (n.d.). Retrieved July 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Seismology
Noun
(uncountable)
Origin
From Ancient Greek σεισμός (seismos, “earthquake") and -λογία (-logia, “study of").
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"seismology." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Seismology>.
APA Style
seismology. (n.d.). Retrieved July 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Seismology
Sentence Examples
- Milne, Seismology (London, 1898); Transactions of the Seismological Society of Japan, vols.
WORDS NEAR seismology IN THE DICTIONARY
- seismology
- seismological
- seismologically
- seismologist